THE PARALLEL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS: WITH THE EU AND AT THE WTO

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THE PARALLEL TRADE NEGOTIATIONSWITH THE EU AND
AT THE WTO
Ecowas Regional Workshop on Agriculture and Food
Security Conakry, 8-9 April 2002 UNCTAD

• Manuela Tortora
• Trade Negotiations and
• Commercial Diplomacy
• UNCTAD
• WEB/CDP/PPT/37

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2 parallel negotiations,1 single preparatory
process...

• ...focused on the following questions

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• are the interests of the ACP countries the same
  in both negotiations?
• can the ACP objectives be achieved in both
  negotiations?
• the gains and the costs involved by one of the
  negotiations will become precedents for the other
  one?
• can the ACP countries identify their interests
  and objectives?

TO WHAT EXTENT
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COMPARISON OF THE 2 NEGOTIATING PROCESSES

• DOHA WORK PROGRAMME
• Modalities for the negotiations on agriculture
  (ongoing)
• Identification of SD mandatory provisions in all
  the WTO agreements by July 2002
• Mid-2003 decision on the Singapore issues at the
  5th Ministerial Conference
• Jan.1st 2005 single undertaking

• COTONOU MANDATES
• Geographical configuration defined by Sept.2002
• Assessment of non-LDCs situation by 2004
• Assessment of the negotiations by 2006
• Conclusion of the negotiations by Jan. 2008

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THE MAIN QUESTIONS RAISED BY THESE 2
NEGOTIATIONS

• 1.-The concept of SD
• 2.-How to prepare both agriculture negotiations
• 3.-The geographical configuration
• 4.-Other issues

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1.-The concept of SD should be consolidated in
both negotiations by

• Sustained political support to the concept at the
  WTO so as to defend the notion of preferential
  regimes in the multilateral rules

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The concept of SD should be consolidated in both
negotiations by

• Identify the SD provisions required in each one
  of the WTO agreements, in particular
• in agriculture
• market acces for the non-agricultural products
• rules for the regional trade agreements
• specific provisions for the LDCs

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The concept of SD should be consolidated in both
negotiations by

• Operationalise the SD intentions contained in
  the Cotonou text (in particular in art.34.4) so
  as to ensure that the SD level of future ACP/EU
  agreements should not be less than the one
  established at the WTO, and that different levels
  of development will be recognised.

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What needs to be defined so as to materialise the
SD provisions at the WTO and in the ACP/EU
negotiations

• The transitional periods
• The product coverage
• The tariff dismantling (timetable and modalities)
• The compensatory measures to address the supply
  capacity constraints and transfer of technology
• The technical assistance
• The degree of reciprocity and preferences
  entailed in the ACP/EU regime

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2.-How to prepare both agriculture negotiations

• Consider the overall EU position in agriculture
  negotiations the EU will not have a different
  position as compared to the one taken at the WTO.
• The modalities of the negotiations as they are
  being discussed at the WTO will certainly be a
  basic reference at the ACP/EU level.

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3.-The question of the geographical
configuration for the ACP/EU negotiations

• The ACP countries need to decide before Sept.
  2002 if they will negotiate individually or at
  the subregional level.
• A framework agreement prepared by the ACP
  countries could be envisaged, with bilateral or
  subregional annexes

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4.-Other issues

• The support that the EU could provide to the ACP
  countries
• The Commodity Protocols